Woofer

Provides 25% more contact time between the ball and strings. Eliminates string lock-up and increases sweet spot size - improving forgiveness during off-center shots and absorbing shock. Delivers extra power and more control, with a comfortable feel.

CORTEX

The Cortex System provides 25% more contact between the ball and strings. The handle and the frame of Babolat Rackets that use the Cortex System are actively linked by the CDS (Cortex Dampening System) which filters and dampens the vibration that can interfere with racket feel. Unwanted high vibration frequencies are removed while low vibration frequencies are preserved, thus enhancing feel.

Graphite / Tungsten

A hybrid material containing braided carbon fibers and tungsten filaments is threaded throughout the entire racquet, improving performance, giving 10% additional energy recovery for even more power, and granting players unmatched control and feel.

Babolat PLAY

One of the most exciting technological advances in the history of racquet technology, the Babolat PLAY Pure Drive comes with a sensor in the handle to track all aspects of your game. This data is easily uploaded to your smartphone, tablet, or computer, where a detailed snapshot of your game awaits. You can even compare the results with friends or the wider community of PLAY users.

Analyze your game: Learn more about your game to better perform. Analyze all aspects of your game, including your style, your new skills, whether your backhand is improving, when you break a personal record, or even an international record.

Follow your evolution: Track the progression of your game. Obtain an easy and detailed overview of your development by looking at past sessions to see where you were and how you have improved.

Improve your skills: Easily see which strokes you use most often, and which you haven’t implemented into your game. Vary and improve your style to unlock new skills and reach the next level.

Check your tennis pulse: Obtain an overview of your tennis game with “Pulse”—a dynamic interface that changes according to the power, the technique, and endurance of your game. “Pulse” changes according to your game improvement and motivates you to play more.

General Information

Technologies

Woofer: Provides 25% more contact time between the ball and strings. Eliminates string lock-up and increases sweet spot size - improving forgiveness during off-center shots and absorbing shock. Delivers extra power and more control, with a comfortable feel.

CORTEX: The Cortex System provides 25% more contact between the ball and strings. The handle and the frame of Babolat Rackets that use the Cortex System are actively linked by the CDS (Cortex Dampening System) which filters and dampens the vibration that can interfere with racket feel. Unwanted high vibration frequencies are removed while low vibration frequencies are preserved, thus enhancing feel.

Babolat PLAY :
One of the most exciting technological advances in the history of racquet technology, the Babolat PLAY Pure Drive comes with a sensor in the handle to track all aspects of your game. This data is easily uploaded to your smartphone, tablet, or computer, where a detailed snapshot of your game awaits. You can even compare the results with friends or the wider community of PLAY users.
Analyze your game: Learn more about your game to better perform. Analyze all aspects of your game, including your style, your new skills, whether your backhand is improving, when you break a personal record, or even an international record.
Follow your evolution: Track the progression of your game. Obtain an easy and detailed overview of your development by looking at past sessions to see where you were and how you have improved.
Improve your skills: Easily see which strokes you use most often, and which you haven’t implemented into your game. Vary and improve your style to unlock new skills and reach the next level.
Check your tennis pulse: Obtain an overview of your tennis game with “Pulse”—a dynamic interface that changes according to the power, the technique, and endurance of your game. “Pulse” changes according to your game improvement and motivates you to play more.

Tennizoom Users

Specifications

Head size

Tennis racquets typically come in three headsizes: midsize, midplus, and oversize. Guidelines say that a midsize racquet should offer 85–95 square inches of hitting area, a midplus racquet about 95–105 square inches, and an oversize racquet more than 105 square inches.Larger heads have more weight farther away from the long axis, making it difficult to move the racquet around it. The sweetspot is thus bigger on larger racquets: off-center hits on large racquets cause less twisting. But not always: smaller headsizes may have more weight nearer to the axis. On center-line hits, a larger racquet alone should not make any difference to the power. Indeed many mids and midpluses will provide very high power for hits along the center of the racquet because of their mass distribution. In fact, many so-called player’s racquets are near the top, and are usually characterized by higher weight and lower headsize, balance, and stiffness. It is the higher distribution of mass near the head that more than makes up the difference, resulting in higher power potential.

Length

Racquets are 27 to 28 inches in length. The longer the length of the racquet, the greater the leverage on a swing, and thus the greater power given to the shot. The advantages of longer racquets are extended reach (covering more of the court) and greater leverage on the serve, which generates more power. The main drawback of longer racquets is their reduced maneuverability and the greater difficulty controlling ball placement.

Strung weight

Weight is related to resistance to movement in a straight line. For example, the racquet resists your lifting efforts until you apply a force equal to its weight; only then can you lift it. You can feel the racquet’s weight by picking it up by the tip or handle, allowing the other end to hang down, or by picking it up at its balance point. Weight influences balance and swingweight, but it is rarely what the player experiences directly when interacting with the racquet.

Balance

The balance point of a racquet is the point along the racquet’s length where it can teeter and totter on a thin support (like the edge of a ruler) without falling over. If the racquet balances halfway along its length, it has even balance. Otherwise, the racquet is said to be “head-heavy”, when the shorter head “half” counter-balances the longer handle “half”, or “head-light”, when the shorter handle “half” counter-balances the longer head “half”. But these terms do not actually mean that one end is lighter than the other, but just that the mass is spread so that the short side of the balancing racquet behaves as if it were heavier: a smaller piece of weight at a greater distance from the balance point will counterbalance a larger piece of mass at a smaller distance from the balance point. In summary, the racquet behaves as if all its mass were located at the balance point (also called the center of mass). For evenly balanced racquets, the closer the balance point is to your hand, the less effort is required to hold the racquet horizontally to the ground by the handle. Balance can be measured in cm or inch.

Balance points

An alternate way of measuring balance. A 27 inch racquet is evenly balanced at 13.5 inches. If the balance point were at 12.5 inches, the racquet would be 1 inch, or 8 points, head-light; a 28 inch racquet with a balance point of 15 inches is 1 inch (or 8 points) head-heavy. Static balance ultimately affects swingweight (q.v.)—a dynamic measure of racquet maneuverability.

Stifness

A stiff racquet does not bend as much as a flexible one. Bending wastes energy, as the frame does not snap back before the ball leaves the strings. With the program above, you can see that frame stiffness seems to matter least just below the center of the racquet, and most near the tip. Near the center, at the “node of oscillation” (or “no vibration sweetspot”), the racquet will not bend when the ball hits it. At those locations, the program will list highly a few very soft frames with a lot of power. At the tip, where the frame wants to bend the most, stiffness is more important; here you will see stiffer frames at the top of the list.

Grip type

Even the smallest racquet details have noticeable effects on performance. For handle grips, leather is more or less obsolete because of its uneven friction resistance. Synthetic fabrics are now more widely used as they can be textured or patterned to improve friction. Texture analysis of various fabrics can be used to assess how different patterns of handle grip affect performance. The shaft connecting the racquet head to the handle is another important feature. Shaft flex ratings can be determined in a similar way to the head. A flexible shaft will better absorb shock, while a firmer shaft will deliver greater power by holding the head and strings correctly. Whatever their choice, players are affected by the flex of the shaft and the head; the characteristics of that flex vary by the materials used.

Composition

Until the 1970s, almost all racquet sports employed wooden racquets with leather gripped handles and natural gut strings. The introduction of aluminum and steel frames paved the way for increasingly lightweight and durable materials. Now most racquet frames are light-weight graphite or graphite composites, incorporating materials like titanium, Kevlar, and fiberglass. These increase frame flexibility, while remaining cost effective.

Composition

Graphite Tungsten

Extended Specifications

Swingweight

Much of a tennis hit can be seen as a battle between the player and the ball to move the racquet in a circle. Swingweight is the racquet’s resistance to movement in a circle. Circular motion occurs around the center or rotation—e.g. the handle’s butt. When you apply equal forces to the handles of racquets with different swingweights, the racquet with the higher swingweight will accelerate less and rotate slower. The lower swingweight racquet will accelerate more quickly. So higher swingweight means less maneuverability, and lower swingweight means more. The ball also applies a force to the racquet, so the lower the swingweight, the more easily the ball will move the racquet; the higher the swingweight, the less easily the ball will change the racquet’s motion. So the tradeoff is this: lower swingweight means greater racquet acceleration and final swing speed, but more shock—due to greater racquet deceleration and higher impact force due to greater speed. Higher swingweight results in slower racquet acceleration and final swing speed but less shock—there is less deceleration from the ball pushing the racquet in the opposite direction. Power is also affected. With lower swingweights, power must be generated more from the swing speed. At higher swingweights, more of the power comes from the racquet itself. The beauty of customization is that you can easily experiment and find the best tradeoff for your style of play.

Swing speed

Simply, how fast you swing the racquet. If you have a high swing speed, you generate more power and don’t need the racquet to do this. A high-powered frame will send the ball flying, and your shots will go far. If your swing speed is slower, you may need a racquet that generates more power. Adjusting string tension will also impact how the ball comes off the racquet, and can be used to fine-tune your “power setting”.

Power level

The punch the racquet packs. A high power racquet will generate lots of pop on the ball, but will give less control; whereas a low power level racquet will leave it up to you to provide the power through a more aggressive swing—while giving you more control.

String pattern

The number of mains—strings running from handle to head—and crosses—strings running from left to right—in the string bed. A denser string pattern puts more strings in contact with the ball. If you want more control over your shots and are less concerned with power, you want a dense string pattern, such as 18 mains × 20 crosses. An open string pattern, like 14 mains × 18 crosses, gives more power but less control.

Stringing type

The choice of two or one-piece stringing is a matter of preference. Two-piece stringing holds tension better, and is recommend by all pro players. But to see the benefits of the two-piece tension retention, it must be tied with a very good knot. If you’re not comfortable with knots, or if you’re unsure of your ability with them, then one-piece may be the way to go for now.

Stringing tension (pounds)

Every racquet has a suggested string tension range. The manufacturer has tested the frame to determine the optimal range of tensions for best play and frame longevity. Generally, if you string at the lower end of the recommended range, the same stroke will make the ball fly farther. Low tension = deeper shots. High tension = shorter shots.

Stringing tension (kg)

Every racquet has a suggested string tension range. The manufacturer has tested the frame to determine the optimal range of tensions for best play and frame longevity. Generally, if you string at the lower end of the recommended range, the same stroke will make the ball fly farther. Low tension = deeper shots. High tension = shorter shots.

I have been playing with Babolat racquets for years.

I have been playing with Babolat racquets for years. I was very intrigued with the concept of the Pure Drive Play and did lots of research prior to diving in and making the purchase. It plays exaclty like the Pure Drive and I could not tell any difference in weight or feel. As stated in several comments, the racquet inspires you to play, and not just play, but improve your play. I found that I concentrate more on my hits, because I know when I make a mishit, the racquet will record it, and my numbers will go down. It inspires you to do drills to complete each skill set. It encourages you to compete against the Play community which is thousands strong. But as also stated, the racquet is not without faults. After a month of playing daily, and having over 4500 hits on my racquet, the USB receptacle became dislodged. I contacted Babolat and they instructed me to provide the receipt to the point on purchase and I was able to hold on to the broken racquet until my replacement arrived. Unfortunately after a few weeks of waiting for the replacement, I received the wrong grip size. It has since been replaced and Babolot is sending me a few packs of strings to make up for the issue. I am very pleased with the way Babolat handled the situation. With all new products and technology there is some expected growing pains. I use Babolat RMP Blast 17/VS Natural Gut 16 Hybrid strings with the RPM on the mains at 58 and the VS on the crosses at 60. I have great feel and lots of control. My game has vastly improved with the use of this racquet, and of course plenty of lessons. It is nice to be able to sit down with my coach at the end of the session and go over my numbers. If you have the money to spend, I highly recommend this racquet.

I love what this racquet can do at times. My husband

I love what this racquet can do at times. My husband and I share it and we have used it successfully on more than 20 occasions reassigning it to each other, now this no longer works -- it only gathers and gives data on my husbands account and I have now lost all of my points -- its very irritating playing so carefully practicing the shots and then when it comes to downloading my data it states 100% data downloaded, see session, then there is nothing. My last downloaded data was in August and it has not recorded anything since. Babolat has taken my call and state they will get back to me. It worked just fine when we first had it. I'm a very disappointed person.

I finally received my replacement Babolat Play. After

I finally received my replacement Babolat Play. After 4 hours of playing with it, it went off. I could never bring it to life again. Another one dead and this one in less than 4 hours. Called Babolat and they came up with a few lame excuses and here I am waiting on they're good will to replace this one as well. Never seen nothing like this. Seems like there are some design flaws.

After getting a few sessions to synchronize from the

After getting a few sessions to synchronize from the racquet to the phone and/or usb/computer, the connection no longer happens. I've tried the racquet reset, to no avail. I have opened a support ticket with Babolat, and here's the really crazy thing, I can no longer use google in chrome to search for a resolution. As an earlier poster wrote, I am also in IT and keenly interested in resolving this issue. Looking forward to demo'ing the new Shot Stats product, I may have made a poor choice buying this racquet.

new racquet

I just bought this racquet and my gosh there is so much spin! But switching from the BLX Pro Open to this is a huge difference and I feel that there's no control with this Babolat! Compared to my BLX that is. Overall, I think there is great access to spin and power! Hopefully control comes later after a few more hitting sessions.

First of all, the Pure Drive is a great racquet

First of all, the Pure Drive is a great racquet -- excellent balance of power and control. As for the Play technology I am really enjoying it. Is it 100 % accurate? No, I don't think so but it really motivates me to practice more and work on getting my technique score higher, etc. And I will say when I go practice and feel like I'm hitting with better technique the racquet stats agree. Is it worth an extra $200? Probably not, but if you want to be an early adopter that's the price you pay. I am happy with it, so if you are willing to treat yourself a little I say go for it!

Veryy happy

The racquet plays exactly like the regular Pure Drive now that my husband restrung it for me. Don't know why but the string job from Wilson was tight, I was worried it was the racquet, but it was the strings. I have played with it four times and was able to get data off the racquet from each playing session unlike the prior review. I do have issues if I try to use the cable to connect to the computer and download the data. I just use the bluetooth function on my phone and it seems to work okay. I find it very interesting to see how the racquet things I am hitting. I am a 4.0 player and am always told that I hit with a lot of topspin; however the racquet says I really hit far more flat shots. I have used it primarily for practice hitting on the ball machine so far and only one match but it will be interesting to see the stats as I play more matches

I had a different experience from the previous reviewer

I was able to download the app on all of my devices. I was able to upload the data for all of my sessions and got some interesting data about my skills and technique. I demoed the racquet during a three-day tennis camp, so I got a lot of use out of it and a ton of information. As a result, I decided to set some goals, e.g. to hit my serves with more pace, to try to hit more of my shots in the sweet-spot., etc. I wish there was a way for the app to record information on volleys. I also wish the information could be given in mph rather than percentage. All in all, if this "computerized" racquet is a hit with recreational players, I see other companies following Babolats lead in the not so distant future and with a lower price tag

Exceptionally disappointing

Unfortunately for Babolat, the software that accompanies the racquet just doesn't appear to be ready for prime time. I have played with the racquet three times as a demo and managed to get it to record data just once. The other times the desktop software told me it was uploading my software and then when I logged into the website there was no data. I immediately went back to the racket to try to reload the data but was told that the racquet was empty. I am an IT professional and this happened to me twice. Exceptionally disappointing. Expect and deserve more for the price

:/

After borrowing this racquet for a week from a friend (who's given up on it completely), it's become clear why there was such a long delay between the promotional launch and the product release -- not to mention the radical feature simplification, of the Babolat PLAY Racquet. It does not work. Not in any reliable, practical way. It's a total sham. This, from a company that usually has superior products, feels like a cynical ploy to recoup their R and D costs. Why else do you release a line of bluetooth racquets that have such glaring functionality and connectivity issues? Sometimes you can upload data to your mobile device, sometimes you can't. Sometimes it will tell you've succeeded doing so just to let you wonder when the data went. How do you say 'gone forever' in French? Once or twice, it honestly seemed like the data it recorded had nothing to do with my hitting session. I don't hit flat balls on either side. So why is it recording flat shots? Don't even get me started about the button controls. Really, how can they sell this for $400?!